


Apparition

by mordredllewelynjones



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Cannibalism, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Ghosts, Gore, Hallucinations, Heavy Angst, Horror, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, M/M, Murder, Season/Series 02, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, angst with attempted horror, assuming I finish it that is, attempted horror, that scene in 2x17, you know the one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 02:45:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15014960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mordredllewelynjones/pseuds/mordredllewelynjones
Summary: A huge empty house can often feel lonely. Yet, despite how much he may miss his late parents, Oswald Cobblepot would give anything to feel alone. The question is, will he last long enough in the eerie halls of Van Dahl manor and the prison of his own mind to stand a chance of meeting the one person who can help him get back to the light?No sex or rude stuff in this story.Work in progress. Warnings, ratings and tags subject to change. This is a side project for while I struggle with writers block on one of my other stories. I have some vague ideas for this (hence the tags) but I'm not sure how far I'll actually get with it.TRIGGER WARNING! Read tags for details.





	Apparition

Funerals seldom have space for happiness and the funeral of Elijah Van Dahl was, at first glance, no exception. Though a small congregation, for the kind old man had had few friends, it was clad in black as was the custom and a respectfully sombre hush was borne throughout the service, interrupted only by the monotonous droning of the priest and he too eventually fell silent as the ceremony drew to a close and the time for final goodbyes approached. The widow of the deceased and her two, fully grown, children remained in their seats, composed and seeming to have already grieved and adjusted to the idea of a life without their benefactor to bestow upon them the gift of companionship. A brave woman, the priest noted with grim admiration. In fact, the only person who went to mourn at the side of the closed casket topped with white lilies that stood bathed in the church candle light was a short, raven haired young man who's face was streaked with tears.

  
Oswald took a deep, shuddering breath as a fresh wave of grief washed over him and his body was wracked by another bout of gut wrenching sobs. Since the passing of his father he'd felt as though his whole body had been plunged into the depths of the freezing waters that his penguin namesake called home, overcome by shock and unspeakable sadness. It was as though the ice cold hand of death was buried deep inside him, trying to tear him apart from within and reunite him with the departed sooner than anyone could have expected. In all honesty, Oswald felt that its fatal blow would be a relief at this point. Yet it seemed that if death had its own intentions for him their consequences were not going to come swiftly.

  
"Father, I only knew you a short time" Oswald began as he struggled to contain his emotions, determined to hold himself together long enough to pay his last respects "but you came to me when I was alone in this cold dark world." In spite of the circumstances he smiled, managing the smallest of laughs as he reflected on the few blessing that Elijah had managed to brighten his life with before they had been so suddenly and cruelly separated from one another once more. To gain and loose a father in such a short amount of time no doubt felt worse than never having one at all, Oswald suspected. "You gave me a family" he choked as his voice shook "I will never forget you for as long as I live." Dissolving once more into sobs Oswald braced himself against the coffin, clutching hold of its wooden surface tightly as he willed his knees not to buckle from underneath him.

  
Seated on the old mahogany pews a few rows back, Grace Van Dahl and her children watched with cold indifference as Oswald removed the lilies from his father casket before grudgingly limping aside to allow the pallbearers to earn their pay. He didn't want to say goodbye yet what else was there left for him to do? Elijah was gone and even in Gotham it was unlikely that a man such as him would ever return to them. This disheartening fact of life seemed to not be weighing as heavily on the minds of rest of the old mans family, however. The distant and dignified shows of sorrow that had been present at the start of the service had grown thin and Charles and Sasha made little effort to quieten their voices as they raised their true concerns to their mother a moment later.

  
"What a bore that was" Sasha groaned as they rose from their pews, trailing behind the coffin as it was borne out of the church, Oswald following it devotedly as best as he could. "Yeah, but the house is ours now. We're rich" Charles reminded her cheerfully. "Quiet" Grace hissed, turning back to throw a disapproving look at them over her shoulder. Not, as one might suppose, out of respect for her late husband, however. Indeed, she was as over joyed at his passing as the other two. She simply had the presence of mind not to make her unnatural feelings known in front of the church congregation. The family had to save face. There was also the matter of the one true mourner at this funeral who was just a few paces ahead of them. To have him discover their secret simply wouldn't do.

  
As if on cue, Oswald turned around suddenly and enveloped a surprised Grace in a tight hug, his tears soaking into her jacket. "He loved us all so much" he whimpered as his step mother prized him off of her with some difficulty. "Indeed" she replied brusquely "But Oswald... as painful as this is, we need to talk practicalities. Can I call you cab or will you take the bus?" Oswald shook his head as he stared at her in disbelief.

  
"I don't understand."

  
"Well you're not returning to the house with us" Grace told him, her eyes cold and her tone fierce. She wanted that snivelling piece of vermin out of her life as soon as possible and the past few weeks since his arrival had all but worn her patience to the ground. Her disinterest in the poor boys fate, however, seemed to have gone noticed. "But where shall I go?" Oswald asked in dismay. "Anywhere but there" Charles interjected unhelpfully, causing the two women to roll their eyes simultaneously. "Oswald, I am so happy that you and your father reconnected" Grace interrupted hurriedly "but he left the house and the estate to me and I'm simply not comfortable sleeping under the same roof as a notorious murderer." She tried to twist her features into a sympathetic smile yet her skills as an actress left a lot to be desired. Thus considering the matter settled she then brushed past him and her children followed suit but like many others before them they would find Oswald Cobblepot a hard man to shake.

  
"But I'm not like that anymore. I couldn't hurt a fly even if I wanted to."

  
Even as his heartbroken pleads echoed off the churches cavernous ceiling Oswald couldn't help but ponder his choice of words for the briefest of moments. 'Even if I wanted to.' He wondered whether a part of him did want to, whether he was unconsciously giving voice to what his soul desired. Deep down, past the grief and anguish was something darker. Something raw, wild and dangerous as a burning flame. Yet it was hidden out of reach. What ever it was that he was feeling had been buried down deep, deeper than Elijah's mortal remains soon would be in the earth, inside him and trapped there by whatever modifications Hugo Strange's torturous procedures had done to him. He was trapped in his own body, screaming yet unable to be heard. All he had was the timid person he had since become, and Gotham was not kind to those who lacked ferocity to bare its hardships. Alone he would surely perish. His salvation lay in the hands of the seemingly immovable woman in front of him.

  
"Please, my father was all that I had" Oswald begged desperately "We share the same blood and he wanted us to be together. He told me. Let me stay, I'll do anything." He gazed imploringly at the only family he had left in the world, hoping against hope that they didn't have it in their hearts to cast him out. He just wanted a loving family and a home. Since the death of his mother that had seemed all but impossible. When he had met his father it was as though his prays had been answered but the cruel hand of fate had had its own plans. Grace, Charles and Sasha were all that remained. Without them he didn't have a friend in the world who could help him.

  
To her children's astonishment, Grace walked over towards her step son and it was obvious that she was reconsidering her initial decision to force Oswald to leave. It soon became clear, however, that this change of heart had not been brought about by any form of affection, sense of duty or even guilt. It was a cold hearted, self serving act. "You are his blood" she said "We do need help around the house." Charles and Sasha gaped at her in alarm. "Mother" they cried in unison. "Why waste good money on servants when we have Oswald?" Grace asked, a ugly hint of pride in her voice. "I'll do anything" Oswald assured her with a hopeful yet pained smile. This was not what he wanted but what choice did he have? "Well you can start by getting rid of those flowers" Grace ordered "I've always detested lilies."

  
A hollow laugh tumbled out of Oswald's mouth as he felt her words stab him directly in the heart, wounding his soul. Lilies had been his mothers favourite. The fact that she, a saint in her own right, was lying dead and cold in the ground with hardly anyone to mourn her whilst the woman in front of him saw fit to manipulate him in this way made him feel positively sick but he couldn't say so. He wanted to. Part of him wanted to scream at her, declare that Grace, with all her greed and lack of compassion, was more deserving of being put in the earth than his parents were. No one would mourn her when she passed, he felt sure. He wanted to grieve, properly grieve, for his mother and father. He wanted to lash out at the three smug faces he saw before him and then at the rest of the world for their indifference to his suffering. All he could do, however, was obey Grace's orders.

  
"Yes, of course" he replied, a mirthless chuckle shaking his frame as he hobbled past the people who were supposed to be his family. A second glace was all that was needed to show them for what they were, his masters.


End file.
